Headlines for October 18, 2022

The Ithaca Voice reports that tense negotiations have begun between United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2300, which represents TCAT bus operators, and the TCAT organization, which operates buses for Ithaca, Tompkins County, and Cornell. The union is attempting to address the discontentment many of TCAT’s drivers feel with their terms of employment. Drivers’ grievances include unsatisfactory pay, hours, failed recruitment efforts, and a lack of communication with TCAT’s management and Board of Directors. They say dissatisfaction has led to diminished retention rates, which have only increased the burden of the remaining workers. 

The Times Union reports that Representative Lee Zeldin’s gubernatorial campaign may have violated New York’s coordination laws. The campaign received donations from outside spending groups that appear to be coordinating efforts with the Zeldin camp. The laws prohibit external donors like PACs from also working within, or alongside, political campaigns. Two prominent Zeldin donors, Ronald Lauder and New York City Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli, are under particular scrutiny. In December, Lauder donated $100,000 to his outside elections spending group, one day before his longtime political consultant, John McLaughlin, received $100,000 to work on an anti-Hochul political ad. McLaughin has been working as Zeldin’s official campaign pollster since 2014. Borelli has worked as spokesman of Save Our State NY (another independent spending group) since September, while also working as Zeldin’s campaign co-chair. 

The New York State Department of Health is moving forward with plans to regulate chemicals allowed in public water systems, specifically PFA’s or polyfluoroalkyl substances. The chemicals are most often found in non-stick cookware, fabric waterproofing and fire suppression foam. Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAs can remain in the human bloodstream for years on end, and have been linked to illnesses including thyroid disorders and cancers. According to the Times Union, the proposed regulations would require public water systems to reduce levels of PFA’s below the newly created maximum contamination levels.